Youth
is synonymous with innocence and, as the old saying states, innocence is bliss.
Adults often try to shelter young people from the cruelty of the outside world
so that youth are able to keep some of the innocence they were born with.
Therefore, children are naturally more content with life. Jacopo says in a
letter to Lorenzo “In my early youth I wanted to scatter flowers on the heads
of all living things. What else has made me so touchy and severe to the greater
part of mankind but their hypocritical cruelty?” (p. 44). Here, Jacopo is
starting to realize that his innocence is dying and the world no longer seems
perfect. He is beginning to be dissatisfied with his life.
Isabella
is the symbol of youth and perfection in the novel. Jacopo talks about how he
has a strong liking for her. “When I am with her my face brightens up, my heart
is more joyful than it has ever been . . . she looks, for all her four years,
like one of the Three Graces” (p. 12). The Three Graces were goddesses of
beauty and creativity in Greek mythology. His comparison here between the
Graces and Isabella shows the portrayal of her in his mind as a perfect
goddess. This portrayal stems from his recognition of her youthful spirit and
appearance. Isabella is also the most innocent character, as she is also the
youngest. After Jacopo and Teresa share the kiss that destroys their relationship,
Isabella doesn’t understand the consequences. The complications behind the
matter have no meaning to her. She simply wants Jacopo to be her friend.
By
the end of the novel, Jacopo has finally lost all his youthful spirit. He
continued to love Teresa until he came to the realization that she would never
be his. His youth and innocence is what gave him hope, but once he realized
that his youth was gone, his hope died along with it. He realizes that man is a
hostile creature keeping him from his true love, making him bitter and
ultimately leading to his tragic suicide.
I like the idea of assigning symbols in this novel because, due to its format, I often forget that it is in fact a fiction novel. For me, Isabella reminded me of Hawthorn's character Pearl in the Scarlet Letter. If we assume that Isabella functions as a literary device, then we can analyze other characters by observing how they react to Isabella. For example, Jacopo, like you said, sees Isabella as a perfect goddess, so it is here that we see the sort of obsession that Jacopo has with youth. Though Teresa is older, I think that Jacopo considers her youthful, as he calls her innocent again and again. But can we assume that innocence is synonymous with youth? In Isabella's case, I would say we can. But Teresa is not completely innocent.
ReplyDeleteInnocence dies as youth fades. So, as one grows, one becomes continually less innocent.
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